Our State Assembly Representative, Rep. Sandy Pasch, is holding two Town Halls this week. Pasch will be joined by Assembly Majority Leader Thomas Nelson.

Tuesday, August 25 - 6pm-7:30pm
Venice Ballroom
Radisson Hotel Milwaukee North Shore - Glendale
7065 North Port Washington Road

Wednesday, August 26 - 10:30am-11:30am
Whitefish Bay Public Library
5420 North Marlborough Drive

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Also, as many of you know, the Whitefish Bay Schools are considering a referendum on the November ballot for upgrading and maintaining the school facilities.

The school district will be hosting 3 "Listening Sessions"

• Monday, August 24, 6 p.m., Richards School cafeteria
• Wednesday, August 26, 7 p.m., Cumberland School cafeteria
• Tuesday, Sept. 1, 7 p.m., Whitefish Bay High School room 47

Dr. Rickabaugh sent me an advanced copy of the handout:

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School District facility study findings, emerging plans, and opportunities to give your input

You are invited to attend one or more information and input sessions where you can learn in detail about our facility needs and about options to assure that our buildings are protected so they can continue to serve our students well. Please come and hear about the plans and options under consideration, and offer your perspective. Read on for further information.

The Whitefish Bay School Board appointed a committee of parents, community members and staff who spent a year reviewing and analyzing school facility conditions and educational program needs. The committee found that our district has significant and urgent needs that affect teaching and learning.

Some examples:


SAFETY & SECURITY

• Our schools were constructed at a time when building safety and security were less of an issue than they are today. With changing times has come the need for significant front-entrance and other safety-related remodeling to assure that access is monitored and controlled.

• Fire-alarm systems in each of our schools must be upgraded or replaced to comply with current safety codes.

TECHNOLOGY

• When our schools were constructed, the internal systems necessary to support modern technology could not have been imagined. For example, most classrooms have only one or two electrical outlets to support an array of electrical needs for computers, projectors and other instructional tools.

ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS

• The Richards and Cumberland School cafeterias were constructed at a time when most students went home for lunch. Because this is no longer the practice for the vast majority of families, our students now sit elbow-to-elbow over four lunch periods in crowded, noisy conditions. This makes lunchtime less pleasant for those in the cafeteria and poses challenges for teachers conducting class in nearby classrooms.


• Our elementary cafeterias must often double as art classrooms. Every day, staff time must be devoted to setting up cafeteria spaces as classrooms, removing art class materials and equipment to serve lunch, setting them up again, and taking them down to allow for after-school use.

• With enrollments around 700, our elementary schools are among the largest in southeastern Wisconsin. Yet a single gymnasium must accommodate physical education classes, performances, community recreation and large school and community gatherings. School programs of any duration displace physical education classes.

MIDDLE SCHOOL

• Middle School orchestra is taught in an undersized, converted locker-room in the basement, with temperature control so inadequate that school instruments cannot be stored there.

• When it was installed 20 years ago, the vinyl tile gym floor was cost-effective. However, the tile rests on a hard concrete surface that is exceedingly slippery when humidity levels rise. The floor is at the end of its life-cycle and should be replaced with a safer, more appropriate and useable surface.

HIGH SCHOOL

• High School science lab course enrollment has outgrown our science laboratory space, limiting student access to hands-on advanced science learning opportunities.

• High School music classes are taught in slightly modified traditional classroom space at the opposite side of the school from auditorium performance space. There is inadequate room to accommodate all students, and the acoustics are substandard.

SPECIAL EDUCATION

• Growth in some specialized high-school special education classes has increased pressure on space and on our ability to respond sufficiently to some students’ needs. Our current space is, in some cases, sub-standard.

MAINTENANCE

• The committee found that our buildings have been well maintained. However, they are at a life-cycle stage when they need roof replacements, improvements to the heating, ventilation and air-circulation systems, lighting upgrades, and other major maintenance attention.

• Bathrooms throughout our schools have not been remodeled to replace pipes or other plumbing since the schools were constructed in the 1930s. Some fixtures are original to the buildings.



The facilities study committee’s report and recommendations have led the School Board to consider a referendum in November. Our District’s needs are compelling. The debt incurred to improve the Middle School, authorized by the community in the 1990s, will soon be repaid. It is an opportune time to consider investing in improvements to the beautiful, well-constructed schools for which our community is known.

I went to Rep. Sandy Pasch's Town Hall meeting Monday night at the WFB Library. About 20 other constituents showed up as well.

Rep. Pasch began with a few minutes on the Wisconsin State Budget, then opened it up for 90 minutes of Q&A from the audience. Most of the conversation centered around the Budget, and generally speaking, most of the audience was unhappy. Unhappy with the new taxes, unhappy with the earmark pork projects, unhappy with the negative business climate (perceived or real).

While I shared the group's displeasure about the budget, it was something else that saddened me.

I met Whitefish Bay resident Sandy Pasch as she campaigned last year, and later voted for her. She was to be the new face that we selected to represent us in the 22nd district.

So I was disappointed to hear that our Rep. Pasch has morphed, in 6 short months, into a politician, full of the same partisanship that ruins our government. I have this odd, and clearly childish, perception that elected officials are representatives of their constituents.

My displeasure is based in what occurred in the past few weeks surrounding the budget. Rep. Pasch had the opportunity to vote on 175+ amendments. She voted against every single one, regardless of its content. I asked why. "Because they were Republican amendments," she answered, "The Republicans said none of them would vote for the budget as a whole."

That's a fantastic reason, isn't it, Wisconsin?

It didn't matter if the amendment was entitled "Whitefish Bay is the greatest village in all of Wisconsin." Rep. Pasch would have voted against it, since it came from the wrong side of the aisle.

During the Town Hall, a number of people expressed concern that the QEO would be repealed, forcing education spending (funded by property taxes) to increase wildly. Rep. Pasch agreed that repealing the QEO was not a good idea, without also fixing the educational funding formula.

So what happened, when Amendment #4 came up, removing the QEO repeal? Rep. Pasch voted against it. Why vote against something you support? Not because it was a bad idea, not because it was against the wishes of the 22nd district. Pasch voted against it because it came from the wrong side of the aisle, and she was following party orders.

When amendment #14 came up, asking for a cap on UW-System tuition, she voted against it.

When amendment #23 came up, hoping to re-instate 24-hour GPS surveillance of sex criminals (instead of once daily) .. she voted against it.

My favorite was #49, which disallowed early release of prisoners who FAILED TO REPORT TO JAIL. Can you imagine that? Early releasing a prisoner who is serving time for failing to report to jail? That's about a million percent logical, and should have been passed unanimously. Guess what? Pasch, and all the Democrats voted against it, and distinctly showed how egregious this process is.

When amendments were presented, removing increased garbage fees, cell phone taxes, oil company taxes, illegal immigrant driver licenses, illegal immigrant in-state tuition, domestic partner benefits .. Pasch voted to keep all of them .. although at least a few of those might be supported by the 22nd.

When these votes were taken, those Representatives stopped representing the interests of their districts. Instead, Pasch and all the other Democrats were representing their party and the deals of policy and pork they had worked out in secret.

And that's a shame. It's sad to see a new citizen representative become quickly indoctrinated into bitter partisanship.

Admittedly, Rep. Pasch is not singularly to blame .. all of the Madison legislators should damned for the same behavior, past and present.

But the only one I have any control over, is the person I voted for, the person I selected to represent me. That’s why I am writing this today. As citizens, we need to tell the people who represent us to stop this madness.

I realize it is naïve of me to think it could be any other way, but it is amazing how much lip service is given to "bipartisanship" when candidates are courting our votes, as Pasch did. That doesn't mean anything when it's your turn at bat, and you bail out.

"That's just the way things are done." It is until some individual puts a stop to it. It is until some legislator says "The way we do business is wrong, and I won't be a party to it."

The Assembly budget was passed with a razor thin margin. If only a couple of Democrats had stood up and said "enough -- we are going to work together" .. guess what.

They would have had to.

< /end tilting at windmills.>

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(Note: The below does not pertain to Whitefish Bay. But it's a topic many of us care about. If you don't care to read my opinion on the State of Wisconsin's budget and how it will affect citizens in Whitefish Bay, stop reading now.)


On reading the Sunday paper, the MJS had 45 bullet points on the 2009-2011 Wisconsin State budget, passed by the Joint Finance Committee, now going to the Assembly and Senate for passage.

With this budget, the fiscal mis-management of Wisconsin has really reached epic heights. It is simply appalling.

7% spending increase over the last budget, that oh, by the way, was $6.6b in deficit because of the recession already?

I mean, they're kidding, right? If there were any year to reign in spending, this would be it, but instead, the Wisconsin Legislature is going to spend 7% more in this budget than the last budget. This despite the 9.4% unemployment rate, and 290,000 Wisconsinites out of work. Tax revenues way down, deficits way up. Let's spend more!

I realize the state is receiving $3.7B in Federal stimulus spending cash but that is OVER THREE YEARS. That accounts for a small portion of the total proposed increase.

So I read through the 45 bullet point list in the Journal Sentinel and wondered .. if each were put up to a referendum vote in Wisconsin, how many would fail? Here are my guesses:
 

• Milwaukee County 1% sales tax increase, costing each household an average of $228 per year? - FAIL.
   
• Phone-line charge - It seems small at 75 cents/month per line, but families with 2-3-4-5 phone lines, that's $18-45/year in extra tax that adds up to $100m more in cell phone bills. FAIL.
   
• A new 7.75% tax rate might pass to "stick it to the rich" but the provision to tax Capital Gains more would fail, as the number of folks with investments is high. - FAIL
   
• Stealing $205M from the gas-tax transportation fund to spend on non-transportation items: Gas taxes are for roads. Period. FAIL
   
• Illegal Immigrants getting drivers' licenses? I believe that would fail a popular vote.
   
• Abolish QEO - Most agree that teachers are wonderful. I'm married to one. But we all know the QEO is a brake on the compensation expense that consumes the largest portion of school dollars. With revenue caps in place, the school funding revenue pie does not increase. If the QEO is eliminated, all it means is teachers get more of the same size pie, forcing other programs to be shut (quicker) and in the long run, property taxes would go up. FAIL.
   
• Taxing Oil Companies - It sounds like a good idea, sticking it to oil companies, but I've heard those oil guys have pretty smart lawyers and accountants who can figure out how, duh, to pass on expenses to the consumers. FAIL. (Although who knows, maybe enough people wouldn't think this through.)
   
• Postpone bond payments, instead only pay interest : In hopes that people realize, if you never pay principle, you never pay back debt. This is just a way for today's politicians to push off today's problems to the future. FAIL.
   
• Early release of "non violent" prisoners: Example .. Say Whitefish Bay has a couple of drug dealers who get sent to prison. Want to let them out early? Anyone? FAIL.
   
• Reduce GPS Monitoring of sex-offenders so that their locations aren't monitored moment by moment, but instead, just once daily!? Are they kidding? What good does that do, to know where a sex offender is once per day, then hope they are in the right spot for the other 23 hours per day? FAIL.
   
• Increase garbage tipping fee: Sure, we think charging Illinois extra dough for dumping their garbage in our state is a dandy idea. But that hits everyone in Wisconsin as well. Want the Village to pay more for your garbage collection, pass that to you? FAIL.
   
• Change state law in civil-damage cases to allow someone found to be 20% at fault to be ordered to pay 100% of damages. This may sound arcane to most folks, but it will absolutely increase our insurance rates, and only benefits people and lawyers who want to sue those with deep pockets. Can you imagine being 20% at fault, but having to pay 100% of damages? Just not fair. FAIL. (As an example, read this article about how this could put all ski hills out of business.)
   
• Earmarks: 29 projects, including 20 for $100,000 or more. You've got to be kidding. We're in a recession, scrapping for every dime. $13 million for the Wisconsin Rapids Armory? $4m for planning a museum in Madison? $500k for an opera house in Oshkosh? $100k for a Stone Barn in Oconto?
  
  Luxuries are always nice, but this is not the year: SUPER FAIL. Every one of those items should be stripped out.

I really find the above an amazing list of unpopular items. How do our legislators get away with this stuff?

So .. what can you do? First, Sen. Alberta Darling's vote on the budget will most likely be "NO," meaning there's no real need to lobby her.

If any of the above outrages you, you need to drop an email to our new Rep. Sandy Pasch. The Democrats have a slim majority of 52-46, and need 50 to pass the budget. One Democratic representative has already said he wouldn't vote for the budget. All it takes is 2 Democrats to tip the votes. The budget is being voted on THIS THURSDAY.

Remember .. politicians? They represent YOU. I can't stress that enough.

Sandy Pasch is YOUR representative. She is there to vote for YOUR interests, and the interests of the 22nd District. Do the above bullet points represent you or the 22nd?

I realize the 22nd is a Democratic district, but .. do the above items represent us? Do we agree that spending should increase 7% over the last budget? Really?

Rep. Pasch email:

Rep.Pasch@legis.wisconsin.gov

I'll get you started:

Dear Rep. Sandy Pasch:

I find (insert 2-3-4-5 of the above bullet points) in the Wisconsin State Budget AB75 appalling. Increasing spending 7% over last budget is a terrible idea in this economy.

As my representative, I urge you to vote against the budget as it stands.

Sincerely,

Joe Taxpayer.

So .. on Monday, I wrote about the local elections .. let's see how my predictions panned out:  

1. I was wrong that Sandy Pasch would beat Wadhwa by 20 points.  The beat-down was THIRTY points.  I think back to when Wadhwa called me about the blog, how incredulous he was when I told him he'd lose by a landslide, as if no one had told him that before.
   
   
   
2. I predicted Wasserman would win by 2% .. looks like I got that flipped.  Alberta Darling won by 2%, who, as a Republican will remain in the minority in the State Senate, which means she'll be powerless once again.  Interesting that even in a Democratic tsunami election, a solid guy like Wasserman couldn't win .. that's what you get with gerrymandered districts.
   
   
   
3. I predicted the Milwaukee County Sales Tax increase would fail by 10%.  I am flabbergasted I got this wrong, as the referendum passed by 2%. 
   
   Honestly, I'm stunned.  I really had the Milwaukee area as a populace with a tremendous anti-tax bias. 
   
   Clearly, there are two groups who voted for this.. First, those voters who think their tax burden is not too high, don't mind increasing it by $63M/year, and want to increase support for Parks, Transit, Emergency Medical Services and Cultural services .. I FULLY understand there are people out there like that, but I'd put them in the 1 out of 5 range.  And I'll salute the folks who voted for this on the basis of its merits: They want more money for parks, et. al., and they are OK paying more for it.  As I said, that IS a legit vote. 
   
   The second group of people are the voters who didn't understand what they were voting for, exactly.  The warnings that the referendum's wording was confusing was spot on .. They read "property tax relief" and said, hey, something for nothing, let's vote for that.   The referendum wording didn't mention the sales tax would COST $130m.  Just that it would save/lower the property tax by $67m.  It's extremely doubtful this group really knew they would be paying $63m in the end.
   
   Well, guess what, County Supervisors who pushed this:  You succeeded, through tomfoolery and confusing language.  You didn't go for a legitimate referendum, where people knew the costs.  You wanted "property tax relief" in the wording so you could fool people into giving up $63M more of their dollars in a shell game.  Congrats on gaining your victory through the ignorance of voters.  You spun the language and won the game.
   
   
   
4. Speaking of something for nothing .. I predicted a 10+ point win for the City of Milwaukee's Sick Pay referendum.  Got that wrong, it won by a whopping 36%.  No surprise there.  Why should 9to5 stop there?  How about some other direct-legislation winners to benefit Milwaukee workers:  "Everyone gets a 50% raise!"  .. "All workers get a company car to drive!" ..  "Massage Mondays!" .. "Free Donut Fridays!" -- All of those would pass with HUGE margins too.
   
   Whoop .. We didn't have to wait long for that first lawsuit, challenging this referendum.

Make sure you read:

1. Local Election Predictions
   
2. WFB Scam Alert
   
3. One less bad guy on WFB's streets!
4. Silver Spring Blame Game
   
5. Solicitors DO NEED PERMITS
   

 

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 While I doubt many of you care what I think about Tuesday's election .. tough noogies.  I'm going to tell you anyhow.

State Rep:  Sandra Pasch will beat Yash Wadhwa easily, and win by 20 points.  Pasch won a long, tough primary battle against 3 tough, solid candidates.  I attended a forum with Pasch and Wadhwa, and two things were obvious:  Pasch was a solid candidate with a great grip on the issues, and second, Wadhwa was not ready for prime time.  In a Democratic year, Pasch wins this race easily.

State Senate:  This is a tough race to call.  Our district knows all about Wasserman and Darling, as both of them have represented us.  Wasserman is a new face in 2/3rds of Darling's district, so he had a lot of work to do to get known.   There's no doubt there are fewer Republicans in Wisconsin than 2-8 years ago, as people flip parties.   That reduction occurs all across the state, which includes those districts which are "solid Republican" areas.  

I've voted for both Darling and Wasserman, so this is a tough vote to cast.  Indeed, Wasserman has a thin resume of legislative accomplishments while Darling has some, albeit not recently.  Why?  Wasserman has spent his entire career in the Republican dominated Assembly.  Darling was a leader in the Republican Senate until the Dems took that over.   Now that Darling is also in the minority, she's also stuck in nowhere land just like Wasserman.

That's why I'm voting for Wasserman.  Having a rep in the minority party does NOTHING for you, as they are powerless, and none of the leadership listens to anyone in the minority party.   Wasserman is a decent guy.  I remember the first time I wrote him, he called me up one night around 8pm, and the two of us chatted about issues for 30 minutes like two guys drinking beer, eating pizza.  He's very likable, and will do well.  -- My prediction:  Wasserman wins by 2 points.

Milwaukee County Sales Tax Referendum:  This won't pass.  It'll lose by at least 10 points.  There are two types of voters who will vote yes.  The first group is those who want to pay more taxes, believing this sales tax increase will improve the parks.  The second, much larger group will vote yes because they don't understand the issue, and are taken in by the poor wording, suggesting a yes vote will somehow magically lower their tax burden.  It will only shift their tax burden from property tax to sales tax, plus add some.  Don't be fooled.

Finally, While I don't live in the City of Milwaukee .. I'm sure their referendum on mandating sick-leave will pass by 10 or more points.  There are far too many people who will look at that as a vote to give them something for nothing, and while I like this type of "Direct Legislation" referendum by the people, this is a terrible example.  Next, we'll see a referendum to give all employees a weekly massage.  Everyone will vote for that, too.  This is a travesty, and I'll bet a lawsuit will be filed by Wednesday morning on its validity.

Sensenbrenner will win by a million points, as well as the dozen other uncontested races that clutter up our ballot. 

Of course, I don't know what our ballot looks like this year, as it wasn't published in the NOW paper, like it is every other election cycle.    Odd.

Make sure you read:

1. WFB Scam Alert
   
2. One less bad guy on WFB's streets!
3. Silver Spring Blame Game
   
4. Solicitors DO NEED PERMITS
   

 

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 Don't want to keep checking for news on this blog?  Have it delivered to your inbox, so you won't miss anything.  Free.  Click here.

 

Well, the filing period came and went, and we've got a few races. 

While I'd focused on the Whitefish Bay Trustee spots, of which two are open for three candidates, a last minute entry came into the dock for WFB Board President to challenge Katie Pritchard.  Doug Weas, who, if Google is correct, is this guy, and heads Weas Development, which appears to be a real estate developer, or consultant of some sort. 

I'm pleased that Weas has entered the race, as uncontested races are no good.  I will try to get interviews with Pritchard, Weas, and David Fee in the next few weeks.

State-wide, we have a race for State Rep (22), since Sheldon Wasserman is challenging Alberta Darling for State Senate.   Sandra Pasch (of Whitefish Bay) and Rosemary Ponik (Brown Deer), both Democrats, will face off in the September 2nd primary.  Winner coasts to victory in November.

Back in August, I read in Milwaukee Magazine:

Sam Rowen, 31 is said to be pondering a run for the 22nd Assembly District seat being vacated by Democratic Rep. Sheldon Wasserman, who will attempt to unseat state Sen. Alberta Darling in 2008. Sam now works as legislative aide for Milwaukee Alderman Mike D'Amato.

But now .. the JS reported:

Milwaukee Ald. Mike D'Amato, who has represented the city's east side since 1996, will not seek re-election in April.  His departure sets up a scramble for a seat that covers one of the most politically active parts of the city. Already, five have filed to run, including D'Amato's aide, Sam McGovern-Rowen.

So .. Since Wasserman is running for State Senate vs. Alberta Darling .. and Rowen isn't running for Wasserman's seat .. who is?  

UPDATE: Ok, I did some Googling.  I've found two candidates:

Whitefish Bay's own Sandra Pasch .. Website: http://sandrapasch.com/

And Rosemary Ponik, from Brown Deer.  (No known website.)

 Both are Democrats.  No Republicans have registered to run for the 22nd district.